Three months after the end of the Women’s World Cup, the mega-event has its own showcase in the permanent exhibition of the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich. This latest addition to our World Cup Gallery contains several exciting objects from a tournament that has set new standards in women's football. Among the exhibits on display are a jersey prepared for the tournament's best player to wear in the Final and a keychain and wristband belonging to a referee officiating a World Cup first.
All the objects were collected on site in France as the competition took place. The aim of the collection was to preserve as wide a spectrum of interesting and historically significant objects as possible. The museum defined important and symbolic players, such as the USA’s captain, Megan Rapinoe. On the pitch, she made a tremendous impression with a total of six goals, including one in the Final, and took home the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. But she has also made a name for herself on and off the pitch as a vocal fighter for equality. On display in the showcase is her shirt, prepared to wear in the Final, where the USA took home their fourth title.
In addition to the symbolic players, the museum team also identified key historical moments, and followed all games to collect interesting objects that captured records or World Cup firsts. To mark the first use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in tournament history, the museum collected the key ring and wristband of Uruguayan referee Claudia Umpiérrez, who officiated the opening match and made the first VAR review in the history of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
From the Pitch to the Collection
Immediately after each match, the museum team asked the participating teams for two objects. Of course, the teams were free to decide whether or not to make them available to the FIFA World Football Museum. In addition, certain rules had to be observed. For example, in the case of objects that were worn several times, such as shoes or personal belongings of the players, the team had to wait until after the last match before being allowed to ask for them. So, the gloves of Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal, European champion and best goalkeeper of the tournament, could only be requested after the Final in Lyon.
A total of 97 objects from the World Cup were collected from players, coaches and referees. Fans and interested parties can now admire a selection of these objects, covering different themes such as the host nation, Women’s World Cup records and firsts, debut nations, and the impact of players on and off the pitch.